After the short story on Chrome for Android not entirely living up to the promise of its desktop sibling, I went on a serious Android browser testing spree - fueled by suggestions from readers here and on Twitter. The conclusion? As much choice as there is, they all seem to be lacking in one important aspect: user interface. Ugly, inconsistent, non-Holo, confusing - and this applies to Chrome as much as it does to third party browsers. Since I really want a good Android browser, I sat down, and about 23 seconds later, I realised that all the ingredients for a really good and distinctive Android browser are right here in front of everyone using Android. Also: this approach would result in a tablet interface, all for free!

The original versions of Firefox on Android worked this way, but it wasn't popular and there were performance problems. The new 'native' Android UI uses the Android menu button (where available) or action bar (where no menu button). Tab controls are accessible from a drop-down menu.

The original versions of Firefox on Android worked this way, but it wasn't popular and there were performance problems.

It was also too easy to end up into the left (or right) sidebar while simply moving around a page. Elasticity or repeats weren't helping, as it made it more difficult to open or close those elements.

It is still a nice idea, but we need something more to make it work: touch areas outside the screen, around it. The WebOS Palms had it (a tactile area below the screen), and it was genius, as it opened the possibilty of gestures (coherent with the rest of the interface) without the risk of interacting with on-screen elements. Edge swipes are too tricky without it.

But alas, I am asking for an hardware modification, a new standard design... which is hard to get.

The fact that even a relative moron such as myself can come up with this means it must have occurred to smarter people as well.

I think they tried it but weren't satisfied with it. Like Mobile Firefox did when it was named Fennec.